


Alleycat

by vivvav



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Game Spoilers, Gen, The AFR Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-02 03:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11500515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivvav/pseuds/vivvav
Summary: In which a simple question is explored: Just what WAS Morgana doing for those weeks between Yaldabaoth's defeat and Ren's release from jail?





	1. Second Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The defeat of Yaldabaoth is not the end for Morgana.

As the sun’s rays shined through the once-again blue sky, the world began to return to normal. The waist-deep tide of blood cracked like glass, shattering apart and floating into the air. The horrendous ribcages as tall as skyscrapers similarly crumbled away, curiously also into what looked like fragments of red glass. As the pieces of Mementos were scattered through the air like cherry blossoms, the entire world began to glow, threads of white light rising from the people and environment like so many vertical streams.

Only the Phantom Thieves were privy to this, taking it all in with a mix of astonishment and confusion. His memories restored and his purpose clear, Morgana stood away from the group, ready to give one more know-it-all speech, albeit without his usual arrogance.

“The whole world is a product of Cognition, not just the Metaverse. It can be freely remade. The same goes for you, and everyone else.”

The Thieves turned around, seeing their cat-like friend, glowing like the rest of the world, a strange energy brimming all about him.

“Dude, Mona!” Although they always fought, Morgana wasn’t surprised that Ryuji was the first one to yell out in concern for him.

“Mona-Chan!” Haru quickly followed. He’d known her the least amount of time of them all, but the bond they shared when she took him in made it bittersweet that it was time to go, even if it was for a good cause.

“This can’t be happening!” Oh, Lady Ann. So many things left unsaid. But no point telling her now. Even if she returned his feelings, it would only make this harder.

His friends all ran towards him, but a large crack appeared in the ground, creating a chasm between them.

“Soon a new world will come” Morgana said, looking around at the surrounding beauty that was human civilization. “One where mankind isn’t held captive. The world will shine brightly as long as you hold hope in your hearts.”

And with that, Morgana began his ascent into the air.

“But what’s going to happen to you!?” Morgana wasn’t as close to Makoto as the others. He supposed it was because of her intelligence. With the way that she knew and understood so much, she never really needed his expertise or advice, and maybe that had been the start of his falling out with the group. How funny, now that they were saying goodbye, she finally had a question for him. He always thought he’d relish this when the time came, but he wasn’t.

There were no words for a moment. Morgana began to vanish into the air, rising further into the sky, pieces of the world rising with him. Futaba was uncharacteristically quiet. She could blather on about the stuff she knew about for hours, but it seemed that she just didn’t do goodbyes very well. Yusuke was also silent, but not in his usual reserved manner. He wasn’t analyzing anything, not trying to find the artistry in the moment. For once, he had been completely and totally pulled out of his own little world, and he was at a loss for words.

And then there was Ren. Morgana knew they both had the same question: What do you say when you’re parting with somebody you’ve spent every waking moment with? With some rare exceptions, the two had been completely inseparable. There was no way either of them could say the right thing, the thing that would be personal enough, the thing that would put the cap on their bond. And so Morgana just decided to continue embracing the gravitas of the moment.

“Remember… there’s no such thing as the ‘real’ world. What each person sees and feels, those are what shape reality.” Ren reached for Morgana in vain. It took every fiber in Morgana’s being not to reach back. He had a higher calling to serve now. “This is what gives the world infinite potential. Even if you feel that only darkness lies ahead, as long as you hold hands together, see it through as one, the world will never end. The world exists within all of you!”

There was a flash of white, and that was it. The Phantom Thieves were gone. For a moment, Morgana was in a white void, feeling himself explode, his energy mixing with the collective human consciousness. Although he didn’t have a human body, in a way, he was finally human. He was all of the humans. He was course-correcting them, setting right something broken, scrubbing the influence of Yaldabaoth away.

And then the light faded. And everything turned dark. And Morgana felt so weak. Weaker than he’d ever been. Weaker than when he woke up in Mementos without his memory. Weaker than when he was locked up in Kamoshida’s palace. Weaker than when he’d been thrashed by shadows and found on the street by Haru. And yet, he was happy. This was the end, but at least it was a good one. It was time for nothingness.

Yes, nothingness. An end of existence. Going back to the void from whence all beings came.

Any minute now.

...Crap.

Was this it!? Morgana thought he’d just have an end to any and all sensation, but he was still thinking, still aware, with no body and darkness all around, everywhere! Why!? Was this his reward for fulfilling his purpose? Not even a proper end, but just awareness with nothing around forever!? This was cruel! This was inhumane! This was torture!

And then, dim light. And something familiar came into being, surrounding him. Stone walls and iron bars. Blue velvet draped about. A short blonde woman in a blue dress, and a strange old man sitting at a wooden desk, with a big toothy grin on his face.

Morgana had no body, he was just a floating consciousness, a ball of light. But whatever he was, he knew he was back in the Velvet Room. Igor started clapping slowly.

“Well done, my boy! Well done!” The old man raised a very large grail, the same one Morgana had escorted out of reality. It was filled to the brim with red wine. “Here’s to you!” Igor took a sip from the cup that had formerly been his hated enemy.

“Isn’t that rather tactless, Master?” Lavenza gave Igor a beleaguered side-eye.

“Oh, let me have this, Lavenza.” Igor put the holy grail back down on his desk and his grin narrowed slightly, which Morgana supposed was the closest he ever got to pouting. “It doesn’t even have a consciousness anymore, so it’s not as if I’m rubbing it in. This is just a bit of catharsis for cheating, imprisonment, and identity theft.” Igor held out the grail to Lavenza. “Come, you must feel similarly. Have a sip, my dear!”

“I think not” Lavenza said. She pointed to Morgana. “Besides, we’ve more pressing business to attend to, haven’t we?”

“Of course, of course!” Igor took another sip of wine and returned his attention to Morgana. “How rude of me. My sincerest apologies, Morgana.”

“It’s fine, Master. But…” Morgana didn’t have eyes to dart around or a head to crane anymore. Being a bodiless consciousness was a bizarre feeling. “What am I doing here? I’m supposed to be dead, aren’t I?”

“Dead?” Igor chuckled. “Well, that would hardly be fair, would it?”

“‘Fair’?” Morgana was glad he didn’t have a brain anymore, or his head would probably be hurting right now. “I don’t understand. I’ve fulfilled my purpose, haven’t I?”

“Do you truly think our master was so careless in your creation?” Lavenza asked.

“It's true that you were created in a haste” Igor said. “When Yaldabaoth began making his rather unsporting move against me, I skimmed the cream that had risen to the top of human consciousness and shaped it into you. But I still put thought into your design. Catlike so you could draw the trickster's attention and take a form that would blend in outside the Cognitive World, but also able to transform into something that would help the Trickster and his companions navigate the Metaverse. Able to use a Persona, having knowledge of the mechanics of Cognition, and determined and goal-driven, even if you couldn’t quite remember your reason for being.” Igor raised the grail to take another sip of wine, but decided against it, putting it back down. “I made you with purpose, Morgana. But I never created you to be a tool. A tool would not be able to effectively fulfill your task. I needed a thinking, feeling being for that.” Igor rose from his desk and walked around it, approaching Morgana. There was an uncharacteristic tenderness in his manner. “You are not human, but you are a person all the same. And I could not in good conscience ask you to save the world and then allow you to waste away without the chance to enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

“Master?”

“Fret no longer, Morgana.” Igor touched the ball of light that had once been a Phantom Thief. Morgana began to feel physical sensation again. He felt the cold of the Velvet Room’s air, and the touch of Igor’s hand. He could move appendages and breathe air again. And everything began to go white again.

“Master, what’s happening?”

“You’ve done your job, Morgana. Now it’s time for you to live.” Igor removed his hand from Morgana, and the Velvet Room began to disappear. “There’s a place for you in the world. It’s time for you to go home.”

“Farewell!” Lavenza waved at Morgana cheerily. And then she and Igor were gone.

And then everything was black. And then there were sounds. People walking and car horns honking and chatter. There was the smell of city air and the feeling of hard ground beneath him and something light and cold falling on top of him. 

Morgana opened his eyes, and he was in Shibuya, in the alley just off Central Street where Untouchable was. It was snowing, and the streets were full of couples. Morgana slowly rose from the ground and walked forward, putting one paw in front of the other and-

Wait, paws?

Morgana looked at his feet and his body as best he could.

“I’m still a cat!? Seriously!?” He looked up at the sky in despair, snow falling directly into his eyes. “Come on!”

Morgana sighed and exited the alley. Well, he may not be human, but he WAS alive. And there were all those people who’d be glad to see him again. Haru and Lady Ann and Yusuke and Futaba and Ryuji and…

Makoto and Ren. Who were walking down the street, arm-in-arm. Morgana was about to run towards them, but then realized they must be on some kind of Christmas Eve date. So maybe it’d just be best to leave them alone and let them enjoy this night together. Besides, it’d be kind of awkward to run up and say hi just hours after he’d made that big show of saying goodbye forever. It'd probably be best to give it a day or two.

Yeah, tomorrow would be good. Tomorrow, Morgana would head home to LeBlanc. The ultimate surprise Christmas present for all of his friends. It was going to be the best day ever.


	2. The Cat Turns Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas at LeBlanc is anything but merry.

Morgana chuckled to himself as he lurked outside LeBlanc, hidden in a narrow alleyway. This was going to be the ultimate return. He’d already seen Makoto and Futaba enter the cafe earlier, and soon enough the rest of them would be there. He could just imagine it now.

> _Futaba was probably sitting at the counter, talking off Boss’s ear about something. Ren and Makoto would be sharing a booth together, enjoying each other’s company. One by one, the Phantom Thieves would all trickle into the cafe. First Yusuke would show up, his belly empty, looking for some seasonal charity from Boss. Then Lady Ann would arrive, a vision of beauty sent from the heavens themselves, her angelic aura filling every corner of the coffeehouse. Haru would arrive next, arms full of presents for everybody, as generous and caring as ever. Ryuji would be the last to arrive, because he didn’t value anybody else’s time and was an insensitive jerk._
> 
> _They’d all be happy and chatting. Or they’d try to be. Because Christmas was a time for family, and the whole family wasn’t together._
> 
> _“I can’t do this.” Ren would be the one to break the silence. “I can’t pretend the world is right without Morgana.”_
> 
> _“Don’t be so glum, Ren-Kun” Haru would say, her voice choked up, holding back tears. “It’s not what Sensei would have wanted!”_
> 
> _“I know, but how am I supposed to go on without him!?” Ren would burst into tears, burying his head in Makoto’s shoulder. “He was always by my side, guiding me to do the right thing! Without Morgana, I’m a ship with no sail, awash in a sea of despair!”_
> 
> _Makoto would take Ren's hand in hers, trying to comfort him. But she would not be able to say anything, unable to speak over her own crying._
> 
> _“The world is so very dim without his presence” Yusuke would proclaim. “How can I possibly create art when my greatest muse is gone!?”_
> 
> _“I can hack cell networks, banks, and government agencies” Futaba would say mournfully. “But I just wish I could hack Heaven and bring Morgana back!”_
> 
> _“RYUJI NOT KNOW HOW SMILE NO WITH HIM” Ryuji would shout._
> 
> _“He was the only one of you damn brats that brought me any joy” Sojiro would say, a single manly tear rolling down his cheek._
> 
> _“I never even told him that I love him” Lady Ann would yell, massive Ghibli-like tears trailing down her face. “And now he’s gone! I’ll never love again!”_
> 
> _At that point, Morgana would pass through the door, pretending to be weak and confused, his eyes shut._
> 
> _“So dark… so cold… Wait…” He would sniff loudly for emphasis. “It can’t be… Coffee… Curry… No… It’s not possible…” Morgana would slowly open his eyes, squinting and looking around. “I’m… home? How!?”_
> 
> _“MORGANA” everybody would shout in unison, the people who’d been sitting rising to their feet, the ones already standing jumping into the air in joyous surprise. They’d all swarm to him, tripping over each other._
> 
> _“Morgana! You’re back!” Ren would reach out and pick him up._
> 
> _“It’s a Christmas miracle!” Haru would say._
> 
> _“All is right with the world” Makoto would add._
> 
> _“I am so overcome with joy, I could fill an entire museum with masterworks!” Yusuke would begin framing Morgana with his fingers._
> 
> _“This is the leetest haxx ever!” Futaba would be climbing over Yusuke to try and get to Morgana._
> 
> _“RYUJI CAN HAPPY AGAIN!”_
> 
> _“Bring him over here!” Sojiro would say. He’d reach under the counter and pull out a massive platter of high-end sushi. Ren would put Morgana on the counter, and Morgana would linger over the platter with glee, wondering with fishy morsel to sink his teeth into first. Suddenly, he’d find himself being lifted away from the sushi._
> 
> _“Hey! What’s the big-“ Morgana would turn to face the person snatching him away from his Christmas meal, only to realize he was in the gentle hands of the woman he loved. “Huh!? Lady Ann, what is it?”_
> 
> _“Over here” Ann would walk to the hallway in front of the stairs to Ren's room. “There’s something I need to say to you.”_
> 
> _“Why here?” Morgana would look around, noticing some mistletoe hanging above them, suspended from the ceiling. “Um, Lady Ann, I don’t know if you’ve looked up, but-“_
> 
> _“I know.” Lady Ann would lift Morgana in front of her face, pucker her lips, lean forward, and-_

“What’re you talkin’ about!?”

A very loud and familiar voice interrupted Morgana’s fantasy. He peeked around the corner to see Haru, Ryuji, Yusuke, and Ann at the end of the alley, all walking towards LeBlanc together.

“There’s no way a fight’s more dangerous with boxin’ gloves” Ryuji added to his previous statement.

“It’s true, Ryuji-Kun!” Haru looked up pensively. “Well, at least some of the time. Are you familiar with how when you punch something, it hurts your hand as well?”

“Duh. That’s why whenever Jackie Chan’s in a fight he’s always like-“ Ryuji made a weird, scrunched up, ugly, open mouth face and held up his hand with his fingers fanned, shaking it back and forth from the wrist.

“Exactly!” Haru smiled at Ryuji. “Fighters are afraid of damaging their own hands, so some of them don’t hit as hard when they’re fighting bare-handed. Once they have the protection of a boxing glove, however, they’re not afraid to throw punches at full-strength, which can actually be more harmful to their opponents, even with all of the padding.”

“Why are you guys talking about this anyway?” Ann asked. “I mean, you’re not really thinking of becoming a prize-fighter, are you, Ryuji?”

“Well, it’s like, fightin’s one of the only things I’m good at, y’know?” Ryuji answered. “I mean, can you see me bein’ a salaryman?”

“I would weep at the very sight” Yusuke said. “I think boxing suits you, Ryuji. There is something artful about the sheer brutality of it. To see someone with your barbaric spirit confined to an office job would make for a good painting, but it would be a very sad one.”

“Gee, thanks” Ryuji said sarcastically.

The group reached the front door of LeBlanc and entered. Morgana could hear Ryuji yelling “Merry Christmas!” He crept up by the door and peeked inside. The scene was not quite what he was expecting.

Boss looked even more glum than usual, standing at the counter with so little spirit that one could have confused him for a mannequin. Futaba sat at the counter, her head buried in her arms, her body language conveying the kind of sorrow Morgana hadn’t seen from her since her palace collapsed. Makoto sat at a booth by herself, a look of sadness on her face so profound that Morgana himself found it hard to believe that this girl could ever have been the domineering strategist who struck fear into the hearts of any who crossed her.

Makoto looked up at Ryuji for a moment, as if she was about to say something, but then exhaled softly.

“Huh? Why do you look so down?” Ryuji turned to Futaba. “What’re you cryin’ about, Futaba? You guys get in a fight or something?”

Futaba sniffled at the counter, just barely managing to let out a whimper of refusal, telling Ryuji he was wrong.

“Hey, Ryuji…” Ann was the first to notice what was missing from the scene.

“What’s up with this gloomy vibe?” Ryuji asked. “Where’s Ren?”

“Mako-Chan,” Haru asked, “what’s wrong?”

“Um…” Makoto stared sadly at the table in front of her, trying to find the right words.

“It’s ok” Sojiro said firmly, a bit of life returning to him. “I’ll explain.”

Ryuji, Haru, and Ann joined Makoto at the table. Yusuke sat down at the counter. The four who Morgana had watched enter the cafe looked at Sojiro expectantly. Futaba managed to raise her head, a look of complete defeat visible on her face.

“Ren left with Prosecutor Niijima this morning” Sojiro said.

“Mako-Chan’s sister?” Haru looked at Makoto. Makoto nodded silently.

“What did she want? Is it something to do with Shido?” Ann asked.

“Yeah. Uh…” Sojiro got an angry look on his face. He took a deep breath and returned to a calmer visage. “So, you know all that Cognitive mumbo-jumbo that you guys were involved in?”

“You mean the Metaverse” Yusuke said.

“Yeah. Well, Shido’s confessed to his crimes, but unless they can prove that the Metaverse is actually real, there’s no way to explain how Shido caused the mental shutdowns, which would make his confession useless.”

“But he confessed!” Ryuji gritted his teeth. “How the hell can he just walk free when he admits to wrongdoin’!?”

“Because he has a bunch of powerful co-conspirators in high places, and without absolute proof of the Metaverse’s existence, they can just say he was threatened or is mentally unwell or make up some other line to cover their own asses” Sojiro said. “And the only people left who can testify to the Metaverse’s existence are you kids. So this morning…” Sojiro frowned. “Makoto’s sister took Ren to the police to testify.”

“So Ren's just makin’ sure that Shido gets locked up?” Ryuji rolled his eyes. “That’s no big deal! What’re you guys so upset about!?”

“Oh no!” Haru’s pupils dilated as she realized the implications of this course of events. Yusuke, Ann, and Ryuji looked at her in confusion.

“Hm…” Yusuke folded his arms together, deep in thought. “If Ren testifies to the veracity of the Metaverse’s existence, the authorities will want to know how he has such knowledge. Which means…” Yusuke looked up at Haru, matching her concerned expression. “Oh dear. But that’s- They wouldn’t! Would they?”

“What?” Ann looked back and forth between Haru and Yusuke. “What are you two saying? It’s not like Ren's going to get thrown in-“ Ann went silent for a second, her body stiffening up. “No! They can’t!”

“Can’t what!?” Ryuji looked around, his face shifting between mad, confused, and worried. “What’s goin’ on!? Somebody wanna clue me in here!?”

“Look, just because you kids changed the world’s heart or whatever it is you did doesn’t mean that the Phantom Thieves didn’t embarrass law enforcement for the better part of a year. They’re not going to take that lying down.” Sojiro grimaced, his face an equal mixture of sadness and rage. “And once Ren reveals himself, Shido’ll get locked up, but it means they’re going to lock up Ren too. With his record and all…”

“His probation will be revoked” Makoto said sadly. “He’ll be sent to juvenile hall. Solitary confinement.”

Ryuji punched the empty space in the booth between him and Makoto.

“What the hell!?”

“I don’t comprehend.” Yusuke got a rare incensed look on his face. “The hero who saved this nation is now living in juvenile hall?”

“It’s just how the system works”. Sojiro tried to say it matter-of-factly, but his displeasure could not be hidden. Still, he tried to soldier on, calming himself. “Don’t let it get to you.”

“I did my best to discuss the options,” Makoto said with a note of desperation in her voice, “but nothing I said could change the outcome.” 

“Damn it!” Ryuji kept abusing the booth seat. “This can’t be happenin’!”

“Are we supposed to just agree to this!?” Ann was even more furious than Ryuji. “I can’t do that!”

“Me neither!” Futaba finally broke her silent spell, the sadness vanishing from her all at once, replaced with righteous fury.

“I must object as well” Yusuke added.

“Wanting to interrogate him makes sense” Haru said, “but the measures following were questionable at best.”

“All that crap about his record and probation was bullshit!” Ryuji finally stopped punching the booth. “He didn’t do any of that!”

“Won’t everything just cancel out if Shido tells the whole truth!?” Ann asked.

“That won’t be enough” Makoto said, clearly exhausted by all this. “Remember what my sister said before? In order to overturn a sentence, you need definitive evidence that proves the subject’s innocence.”

“Evidence!?" Ryuji’s voice was starting to rasp from the continued yelling. “How’re we gonna find anything like that!? I mean, the police were in on all that crap too, so any proof they got’s prolly been destroyed…”

“Futaba, is there any way you can use your computer to find information?” The way Yusuke asked it almost sounded more like a command. Everybody looked at Futaba.

“I’ll do what I can” Futaba answered. “But don’t put too much faith in it. It’s not some kinda almighty device.”

“The Metaverse doesn’t exist anymore either” Haru said sadly. “Boss, can’t you think of another means by which we can help him?”

Sojiro shook his head sadly.

“I wonder what Mona-Chan would say if he were here right now” Haru added.

Morgana didn’t hear what they said next. He spaced out for a moment. He wanted to go in, to tell them something, anything, but what would he say? What _could_ he say?

_“This is my fault!”_ Morgana thought. _“If I hadn’t been so dramatic and just showed myself last night, I could’ve stopped all this! I could’ve talked Joker out of turning himself in! I could’ve come up with another way to get Shido put away without him giving up his freedom! Why did I have to be so proud!?”_

Morgana looked back at the cafe’s interior. Everybody seemed to be sulking, except for Ann. She looked around and stood up, slamming her hands on the table.

“Hey! Morgana’d be ashamed of us sitting around here moping like this!” Ann remained standing as everybody looked at her. “Honestly, I don’t know what we should do. But if we give up, we’ll never save Ren! Didn’t he save all of you!? If we aren’t gonna act now, when will we? We gotta do something!”

“Yeah!” Ryuji stood up. “Now’s not the time to be hangin’ our heads!”

“Hm…” Yusuke’s mood seemed to pick up a little. He spoke slyly, trying to summon up his thief instincts for inspiration. “What can we do without using the Metaverse?”

“Maybe we’ll be able to find something if we search around” Haru said, her smile returning to her face.

“Let’s just calm down and think about it.” Finally, Makoto had returned to her old self. “We’ve escaped death countless time before… There’s no doubt we can do this!”

“That’s right! Let’s go!” Futaba jumped out of her seat. The other Thieves all rose to their feet.

“We’re gonna save our leader, no matter what it takes!” Ryuji declared. The others all shouted affirmatives.

Morgana got fired up too. He considered heading inside, but decided against it. When he finally reunited with his friends, he wanted the whole gang to be there at once. He’d show his face once Ren was out of jail, and not a moment before. Which meant he had to do his part to free Ren from juvenile hall!

Now he just had to figure out what that part was…


	3. Calling Cards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgana does his part to get Ren out of jail.

“Sis has yet to say anything, but I believe she’s looking into possible actions as well. As for me, I will look into every viable solution.”

Morgana was lurking outside the door to Makoto’s apartment, spying on her. He figured with her connection to Sae, this was the best source of information for the group’s progress on freeing Ren. Right now, Makoto was on the phone with Ann, though Morgana could only hear one side of the conversation.

“…Thank you. Make sure you give my regards to Shiho-San.”

From what Morgana had picked up, Ann was visiting Shiho at rehab when she overheard some men in suits discussing Shido, including name-dropping a woman who had “framed that brat”. It might very well be the woman who Shido blackmailed into getting Ren arrested.

“Oh, could we try getting their help as well? I’m sure they would gladly cooperate… That would be a great help. I’ll leave that to you… Mm-hm. We’ll talk again tomorrow. Let’s save him, no matter what.”

* * *

The next day came, and the hours passed. At the end of the school day, Mishima was rising from his desk, getting ready to go home. Just as he was about to head for the classroom door, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Huh?” Mishima turned around to see Ann Takamaki of all people making physical contact with him. “Takamaki!? Wh-what’s up?”

“Mishima, I need you to stick around school for a while. Please.” Ann looked into his eyes pleadingly. “It’s for Ren.”

“Amamiya!?” Mishima’s eyes widened. He hadn’t seen Ren since the night the Phantom Thieves fought that giant thing in the sky that nobody else seemed to remember. He’d tried messaging him multiple times and gotten no response. “Where is he!? Have you heard from him!?”

“Look, I promise I’ll explain everything in a bit, but right now I need you to come with me.” Ann took her hand off Mishima’s shoulder. “Ren needs your help.”

“Got it!” Mishima’s look of surprise vanished and was replaced with a look of determination. Ann looked over to Ms. Kawakami leaving the classroom and ran after her. Mishima followed.

“Ms. Kawakami! Wait!”

Ms. Kawakami was only a few feet down the hallway from the door. It seemed she’d been heading to the teacher’s lounge. She looked back at Ann in confusion.

“Takamaki? Is there something I can help you with?”

“Ms. Kawakami, this is going to sound strange, but could you please come up to the Student Council room with us?”

“What?” Kawakami put her hands on her hips. “What could you possibly need from me up there?” Ann leaned forward, cupping the sides of her face with her hands.

“It’s about Ren” Ann whipsered.

“What _about_ him?" Kawakami glared at Ann. The school had been notified of Ren's arrest and told that they didn’t have to worry about him anymore. Mr. Ushimaru had relayed the information to Kawakami with wicked glee, saying something about how “that delinquent may have thought himself high and mighty because he could dodge my chalk, but it looks like he wasn’t quick enough to avoid the long arm of the law!” Kawakami had just barely restrained herself from slapping the older man on the spot.

“We might have a way to clear his name” Ann said. “Come with us to the Student Council room and we’ll fill you in on the details.”

Kawakami nodded and followed Ann upstairs, Mishima walking behind them. When they reached the third floor, they saw Makoto waiting for them outside the Student Council room. She waved them over and they headed inside. Ryuji and Haru were already seated at the table waiting for them. Makoto, Ann, Mishima, and Kawakami all took seats around the table.

“I’ll cut straight to the point” Makoto said. “Everybody in this room knows that Ren Amamiya was a Phantom Thief.”

“Whaaaaat?” Mishima looked at Kawakami and laughed nervously. “What are you talking about, Niijima-San? Amamiya, a Phantom Thief? That’s ridiculou-“

“I’ve already discussed this with him, Mishima” Kawakami said. She looked straight at Mishima. “I also figured out that you, Takamaki, and Sakamoto are all Phantom Thieves.”

“What?” Ryuji laughed. “Mishima ain’t one of us. He runs the Phansite.”

“Oh, I see.” Kawakami scanned Mishima with her eyes. “Yes, that makes sense. I just thought that since he had problems with Mr. Kamoshida like the rest of you, he- Wait…” Kawakami got a frightened look on her face and turned to Makoto. “How did you know that I knew that Amamiya is a Phantom Thief!? What did he tell you!?”

“Nothing that bears repeating” Makoto said. “All I have to say is that I know he assisted you with some personal problems by stealing somebody’s heart. Some of us in this room might have been accessories to that.” Makoto looked at Haru. “Haru and myself were Phantom Thieves as well.”

“Really now?” Kawakami smirked at Makoto and folded her arms. “I noticed you and Amamiya were spending a lot of time together, but I thought you were just tutoring him to help the school with his probation or something.”

“Look, why anybody knows anything ain’t important!” Ryuji yelled. “We’re here to get Ren out of jail!”

“Amamiya's in jail!?” Mishima looked around the room. From the serious looks on everyone else’s faces, it seemed he was the only one who didn’t know this already. “Why!? What for!?”

“I’m unclear on that myself” Kawakami said. “All the faculty’s been told is that he’s been arrested. The authorities were tight-lipped regarding the why of it all.”

“Oh my” Haru said. “It seems we have quite a bit of catching up to do, then.”

The Thieves explained the circumstances of Shido’s confession and Ren's arrest, not aware of a black and white cat perched on a bend in a gutter spout right outside the window, his ear pressed against the glass.

“…and so if this woman Makoto’s sister is tracking down is really the lady who framed Ren, we might be able to clear the original assault from his record!” Ann said, finishing the explanation.

“That’s great!” Mishima rose out of his seat in excitement. “So if you get her to admit the truth, they’ll release Ren!”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Mishima-Kun.” Haru shook her head.

“It’s not?” Mishima sat back down.

“Nah, it’s like, they got Ren locked up ‘cuz of the Phantom Thief stuff, y’know?” Ryuji scratched his head. “And, like, he’s tellin’ ‘em about the Metaverse, but there’s all this stuff with how legal it all is, and… uh…” Ryuji looked around the room. “Actually, I don’t really get it. Li’l help?”

“What Ryuji is trying to say,” Makoto said, “is that the authorities are more than happy to lock Ren up with his confession to being a Phantom Thief, because the law has just assumed that we’re criminals.”

“But the thing is,” Ann added, “none of the stuff the Phantom Thieves did was actually illegal!”

“That’s right.” Makoto nodded. “Strictly speaking, there is no law prohibiting people from traveling into an alternate reality and stealing a metaphysical representation of distorted desire that isn’t even recognized as legal property from a human being’s consciousness. We at no point tortured, threatened, brainwashed, or blackmailed any of our targets into a confession. The changes of heart are completely legal, because there is nothing in the written law that applies to them.”

“If Mako-Chan’s sister can clear Ren-Kun of his assault charge, then this will be the argument she uses to get Ren-Kun cleared of the Phantom Thief charges as well” Haru said.

“But it’s only gonna work if we can get a bunch of folks to say what a good dude Ren is” Ryuji added.

“That’s why we need you two” Ann said. “Every person we get to testify to Ren's character will push the courts to reconsider his sentence.”

“Understood” Kawakami said. “There’s a faculty meeting coming up soon. I’ll try to convince the rest of the teachers to make a joint statement with me on behalf of the school.”

“Are you certain you’ll be able to get them to agree to it?” Makoto asked.

“Well, it won’t be easy, but I think I’ll be able to do it” Kawakami said. A smile appeared on her face. “Despite what some teachers think, Amamiya has behaved like a model student for most of his time here, and he’s even tested at the top of his class. I should be able to persuade them to speak of him in a positive light.”

“And I’ll mobilize the Phansite!” Mishima claimed. “With the thousands and thousands of Phanboys out there, we’ll be able to organize a mass protest that-“

“You can’t!” Ann yelled. “If you use the Phantom Thieves fans for this, it’ll only get Ren locked away for good!”

“What are you talking about?” Mishima asked.

“From what Sae-San has told us, the authorities still hold the Phantom Thieves in contempt” Haru explained. “The last thing they want is for any of our identities to be made public knowledge, otherwise we’ll be seen as heroes and make the system look even more foolish. If you unite countless people under the Phantom Thieves banner, it is highly unlikely that the powers that be will find it in their hearts to forgive Ren-Kun.”

“Then I’ll just… Um…” Mishima scratched his head. “Do a local protest! Or a petition! I’ll tell everybody how an innocent teenager has been falsely imprisoned and collect signatures!”

Everyone in the room kept talking for a while, but Morgana stopped paying attention. He was lost in thought.

There was no way a hand-signed petition would get the voices they needed, and even if Shujin Academy released an official statement attesting to Ren's innocence, it probably wouldn’t be enough. Makoto and the others had the right idea reaching out to people Ren was close to, but there were so many more of them. There was a whole network of people who could speak for Ren. And Morgana knew about every single one. It was time to get to work.

* * *

Toranosuke Yoshida sat down for dinner at the Beef Bowl shop in Shibuya. While he was grateful for the swell of support he’d gotten lately, at times like this, he wished maybe he was a little less popular. All he wanted was to focus on his dinner, but practically every customer wanted to pick his brain, shake his hand, or get a picture with him. Such was the cost of being a man of the people, he supposed. Still, with all the attention Yoshida was getting, nobody noticed anything peculiar happening in the restaurant. Say, for example, a pen going missing from the back, or a little mass of black fur scurrying under the table where Yoshida was sitting.

Yoshida picked up his napkin to dab a bit of sauce off of his face when he suddenly felt it being yanked from his hand from beneath. Before he could reach down to pick it up, another one of his supporters came up to him to talk. He took a picture with the young man, messy lip and all, then fumbled his hand around on the floor trying to find his napkin. Finally, he felt the cloth with his fingertips, and plucked it from the ground. As he raised it to his face, he noticed that there was something written on the napkin. Curious, he held the napkin out in front of him, scanning the text with his eyes…

* * *

Munehisa Iwai was leaving the diner in Shibuya with Kaoru. Ever since his son had learned about his past in the yakuza, Kaoru’d had a LOT of questions about Iwai’s old life. He was reluctant to share some of the details, but he figured the kid deserved to know just what kind of guy his old man was, and that included knowing where he’d come from. Still, as annoying as it was to revisit some of this stuff, Iwai liked that he could finally be open with his son. It was like this wall between them had been torn down, and they were spending more time together and getting to know each other better.

Still, Iwai didn’t like Kaoru hanging around the shop. Figured he was destined for better things. So against his son’s protests, Iwai headed back to Untouchable alone, sending Kaoru home. He fished for his keys in his pocket as he headed down the alley off Central Street, ready to open shop again, but his hand stopped moving.

The door to the store was ajar. The lock had been picked.

Mad as hell, Iwai slowly made his way into the store, looking around. The door to the back room was open. Iwai reached into a secret pocket in his coat lining, pulling out some special brass knuckles that had been modified with a short-range taser attachment, and crept behind the counter. He kicked the door all the way open, only to discover a horrifying scene:

All of Iwai’s precious lollipops were scattered on the floor, all unwrapped, not so much as a lick on any of them. The wrappers were all laid out on his desk.

“What sick son of a bitch would do this!?”

Iwai took a step into the room, scanning the lollipops on the floor. He had hoped that at least one would be stacked on top of another, not actually having touched the dirty floor, still safe to eat. He had no such luck. Completely devastated by this loss, Iwai grabbed his chair and dropped into it. He slowly swiveled, facing his desk, and noticed something peculiar about the wrappers laid out on it. There were incisions in the candy wrappers, like they’d been cut into by an incredibly small knife or an animal’s claw or something. And each wrapper had one character cut into it, and altogether, they spelled a message…

* * *

Tae Takemi sighed at the front desk of her office as her colleague pestered her. The man was Miwa’s doctor, a far more trustworthy man than Oyamada had ever been. That said, he did have this annoying habit of focusing on one thing…

“Just do the conference, Dr. Takemi! I’m begging you!”

“And I’m telling you ‘no’!” Takemi slammed down her magazine in frustration and looked up at the man. “My colleagues are no longer calling me ‘the Plague’. I don’t need any more publicity than that.”

“But think of all the good it would do” Miwa’s doctor pleaded. “If everybody knew about your skills, you could be presented with so many opportunities to help other difficult cases like you’ve helped Miwa-Chan!”

“That’s exactly why I don’t want to do it!” Takemi said. “Do you know how absolutely exhausting it’s been developing a treatment for her? Besides, it’s less likely that I’ll get genuine medical mysteries and more likely that I’ll get a bunch of crybaby hypochondriacs who think their common cold is the resurgence of the Bubonic Plague!”

“So that’s it? You won’t speak in public about how you cured Miwa-Chan’s condition?”

“No. I won’t.” Takemi rose from her chair. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”

Miwa’s doctor slowly turned around, heading for the door. Takemi stepped into her exam room, feeling an unexpected breeze. She looked to the source and saw that the window was open. That was odd. She almost never opened that window. She closed it and sat down at her desk, waking her computer from sleep mode. When the screen lit up, she saw there was a text document already open, something typed into it in large font…

* * *

“I’m tellin’ ya, Lala-Chan! There was a cat! A kitty cat, sneakin’ around right here in the bar!”

Lala Escargot rolled her eyes at the red-faced drunk man before her.

“I’m cutting you off, Hiroshi-Kun. There are no animals in this bar, I promise you.” She turned to her regular who was practically as much a fixture in Crossroads as the barstools themselves. “Isn’t that right, Ichiko-Chan?”

“That’s right!” Ichiko Ohya grinned at the man and pointed to Lala. “Unless Lala-Chan spots a cute guy that she’d like to take home. Then SHE becomes the animal!”

“That's right” Lala said proudly. “I’m gonna call you a cab, Hiroshi-Kun. If you’re seeing cats, I don’t trust you to get home safely on your own.”

“But Lala-Chan-“

“Uh-uh, young man.” Lala pursed the man’s lips with one of her fingers. “You may be a young hotshot at your firm, but in this bar, I’m the queen. And what I say goes.”

“Hey, your Majesty!” Ohya yelled, holding out her empty glass. “Get me another whiskey!”

“Hold your horses!” Lala looked under the bar. She grabbed the whiskey bottle she’d been pouring all night, and it was feeling pretty light. She didn’t think there was enough left for even half a shot. “I need to grab some more from the back. One second.”

Ohya pouted as Lala gracefully made her way towards the storage cellar of Crossroads. Lala went inside and rummaged through the shelves, looking for some whiskey. As she was searching, she heard a crash behind her.

Lala turned around and saw a shattered wine bottle on the floor. She looked up to see where it had fallen from and noticed a note taped to one of the shelves. She grabbed the note and held it close to her face, having some trouble reading it in the dim light. Still, slowly, she was able to make out its contents…

* * *

Chihaya Mifune had just set up her table for the day in a Shinjuku side street when something started ramming against one of her table legs, causing the whole thing to shake. She got up and peered under the table to see what was attacking her business, only to find nothing there. When she arose, there was a piece of paper sitting on the table’s surface. As she reached down to pick it up, a strong wind came and blew the paper away. Chihaya moved her hand to try and catch it and knocked a single card off the top of her tarot deck. As the paper fluttered away on the wind, she got curious and decided to turn over the single tarot card. She saw the Fool.

Chihaya suddenly got the desire to do a full reading. She drew two more cards from her deck…

* * *

Hifumi Togo was hiding in the confessional booth. When some reporters came along to pester her, she thought it would be best to leave the church altogether so they’d stop causing a scene, but the priest wouldn’t hear of it.

_“This is the house of God, Hifumi-Chan. It is meant to be a place of comfort. You lay low for a moment. I’ll drive away these vultures.”_

So now here she was, in the cramped booth, just waiting for the gossip-hungry “journalists” to pass by like a storm. The whole thing felt a little ridiculous, but it was nice to have somebody standing up for her, so she went along with it.

There was a slight thud. Hifumi looked down to see that a bible had been tossed into the booth. She picked it up and noticed there was a dog-eared page. Hifumi opened the bible to the marked page to find a folded piece of paper inside. Could this be some kind of secret message telling her to sneak out the back? Come to think of it, Hifumi wasn’t sure if the church even had a back entrance. Hifumi unfolded the note…

* * *

Shinya Oda groaned as his avatar got shot in the face. His gameplay had been on the decline for the past half hour, and his usual crowd of admirers had long dispersed. His worn-out trigger finger was telling him it was time to call it a day. Still, he really wanted to push for a new high score, but it just wasn’t happening today.

Shinya left the arcade and started heading home. He walked for half a block before something hit him in the back of the neck. It didn’t hurt, but he definitely felt it. Shinya turned around, but didn’t see anybody. He looked down at the ground and saw a gachapon capsule, which he picked up. Instead of some toy, there was a rolled-up piece of paper inside. Shinya popped the capsule open and unrolled the paper. It read…

* * *

**_REN AMAMIYA HAS BEEN JAILED FOR A CRIME HE DID NOT COMMIT. HE NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT IF HE IS EVER TO REGAIN HIS FREEDOM. DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO SAVE HIM FROM THE GOVERNMENT’S FALSE ACCUSATIONS._ **

**_SIGNED, THE PHANTOM THIEVES OF HEARTS_ **

* * *

“THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!”

Yoshida clutched the napkin in his hand as he rose from his seat. The other customers in the beef bowl restaurant all stared at him in surprise and confusion. At the moment, he didn’t care about making a scene. He was seeing red. Ren Amamiya, his young friend and protégé, had been locked away by the corrupt officials he’d been fighting as a Phantom Thief. This injustice would not stand. Yoshida lost his appetite and pulled out his wallet. He threw down far more money than his meal actually cost, but he didn’t care. He stormed out of the restaurant, the napkin still in his grip.

Between Yoshida’s surge in popularity and old man Kuramoto admitting to misconduct, a lot of old connections became available to him again. Some of them were even members of the Diet. Although Yoshida hadn’t actually been elected for anything yet, he had influence. And while he wasn’t fond of the idea of throwing his weight around for personal reasons, this was a righteous cause. Ren Amamiya had put an end to the legend of No-Good Tora. Now it was time to return the favor.

* * *

“Is this some kinda joke!?”

Iwai scanned the messages in the punctured wrappers over and over again. This set-up was WAY too elaborate for this to be a prank. He’d checked around the store. His lollipops aside, nothing had been damaged or stolen. Whoever broke in while he was out broke in for the express purpose of leaving this message. The kid was in trouble. Iwai opened his desk drawer and rifled around for a minute until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out an old, worn out business card and dialed a phone number he could barely make out.

_“I hope this number’s still good”_ Iwai thought.

“Yeah?” A very angry voice answered the phone. “My caller ID don’t recognize you! Who the hell is this!? How did you get this number!?”

“You’re just as pissed as ever” Iwai said smugly. “It’s Iwai.”

“Iwai!? Munehisa Iwai!? You ain’t dead!?”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“Hey, I ain’t upset. I just figured I’d never hear from ya again, what with you goin’ straight and all.”

“Look, I don’t got time for a lotta small talk” Iwai said. “Remember that favor you owe me?”

“Of course I do! You saved my fuckin’ leg. A man never forgets a debt like that.”

“Glad to hear it." For the first time since walking back into the store, a smile appeared on Iwai’s face. “I need to meet some guys. I think you can make it happen.”

* * *

Takemi jumped out of her chair and ran out of her exam room. She dashed through her lobby and out onto the street. She looked around and saw Miwa’s doctor off in the distance, turning a corner. She rushed over to him.

“Wait!”

“Hm?” Miwa’s doctor turned around, surprised. “What is it, Dr. Takemi?”

Takemi stopped, leaning against the wall. She was not used to running in pumps.

“I changed my mind” she said, wiping some sweat from her brow. “I’ll do the conference.”

“Really!?” The other doctor stared at her like she had grown a second head. “But your objections-“

“They don’t matter! There’s going to be a lot of press at this, right?”

“Well, yes.”

“Good. The more, the better.”

“I don’t understand, Dr. Takemi. Just a moment ago, you were vehemently opposed to the attention this would bring. Why the sudden change of heart?”

“‘Change of heart’, huh?” Takemi smirked at the appropriate choice of words. “Well, the truth is, I do have an ulterior motive. A certain condition that needs to be met if I’m going to do this.”

“I see…” The doctor looked at his younger associated nervously. “And just what might that be?”

“Come back to my office. There’s something we need to discuss.”

As the two doctors headed back to the clinic, Takemi had her fists balled up. She was having trouble retaining her usual disinterested facade.

_“Don’t you worry, guinea pig. I’ll get you out of that cage.”_

* * *

Lala quickly marched out to the front of the bar, the note hidden up her sleeve. She tried to retain her usual smooth composure, but right now she was less concerned with being feminine and more concerned with relaying the news to Ohya. Lala had read the note and had no idea what to do with this information, but the reporter, a lush though she was, would surely be able to think of something.

“Lala-Chan,” Ohya whined, “I don’t see a bottle in your hand! What’s going on?”

“You can drink after you’ve read this.” Lala handed Ohya the note.

“Huh? Is this some kinda sobriety test? We both know I’m already gone, Lala-Chan.”

“Just read it, Ichiko-Chan.” Lala glared at Ohya, sending a shiver up her spine.

Ohya looked at the note grumpily. That grumpiness was quickly replaced with a very serious and focused expression. She tore the page in half and balled up the pieces of paper, handing one to Lala and putting the other in her pocket. She stood up from the bar, seemingly more sober than she had been a moment ago.

“You look like you have a plan" Lala said.

“Yeah.” Ohya headed for the door. “I’m going out of town for a bit, Lala-Chan. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Good luck, Ichiko-Chan.”

“Luck’s got nothing to do with it. Right now, hard work’s all that matters.” Ohya stepped through the door. “I’m not gonna let him go through what Kayo did.”

* * *

Chihaya did not actually read the letter left for her. But the second she touched that Fool card, an ominous feeling overcame her. The rest of the reading gave her some strong images.

Ren locked up in jail. Sitting in a small, cold room with no windows, scared out of his mind and completely alone.

People trying to help him. A blonde girl spying on some men in a hospital. A silver-haired woman fiercely arguing with her colleagues. A balding man in white and pink sitting in an interrogation room, slamming his fist on the table.

A wave of protests assaulting the local government.

Right now, Ren needed voices. Voices would be the key that would unlock his cell and let him walk in the sun again. And there was a substantial crowd that would listen to whatever she told them.

_“Just you wait, Ren-San. This time, I’ll be the one to change your fate.”_

* * *

Hifumi emerged from the confessional booth, heading towards the church entrance. The priest was arguing with a TV reporter and her camera man.

“And I am telling you, ma’am, that she is a teenage girl! Your hounding her is completely inappropriate, and I will not have it in this church!”

“That’s enough, Father.”

The priest turned around to see Hifumi standing directly behind him.

“I appreciate what you’re doing for me, but this isn’t going to end until I give them something. I’ll talk to them.”

“Are you certain, Hifumi-Chan?” The priest adjusted his glasses. “I thought you disliked the media.”

“I do, but sometimes you need to sacrifice a piece as part of a winning strategy.” Hifumi gave the older man a confident smile.

“If you say so. Just let me know if it gets too uncomfortable for you.”

“Thank you, Father.” Hifumi turned to the news crew.

_“My, this is an interesting game you’ve gotten me into, Ren. I’ve never had to RESCUE a king before…”_

* * *

Shinya stormed back into the Gigolo Arcade, making a beeline for the Gun About machine.

“Back already, Shinya?” The arcade’s owner raised an eyebrow. “I figured without an audience, you lost steam.”

“I got my second wind” Shinya said. He dropped two coins into the machine and picked up both guns. His trigger finger didn’t feel so tired anymore. Right now, nothing could phase him. As the enemies started appearing on screen, Shinya took aim and fired, even more focused than usual. He had a clear purpose.

An hour later, Shinya’s game finally came to an end. He had achieved the new high score he wanted. The game was asking him to enter a name, something to be listed right above the now #2 spot, which still read “King”.

Shinya aimed for just the right letters and put the guns back in their holsters. He smirked and started to head for the door.

The arcade owner went to look at the score. He turned to Shinya, confused.

“Why did you enter ‘Amamiya’?”

“I got my reasons” Shinya said. He grinned, shaking his head as he walked out of the arcade.

_“Man, I gotta do everything for that guy.”_

* * *

Morgana was perched outside the window to LeBlanc’s attic. Nothing had been moved. All the crane game toys still sat on the workbench shelf. The bookcase was lined with various mementos of times spent with friends. Even the sheets were still on the bed, messy and unmade. Morgana wanted to go inside, to sleep in his home again. But it wouldn’t be home if Ren wasn’t there, not really. Morgana refused to enter LeBlanc until everybody was back together. And so, once more, he resigned himself to sleeping in the alley.

It wasn’t comfortable, but Morgana was just so tired. Besides, he was already dirty and smelly from weeks on the street anyway, so it’s not like one more night would kill him. He’d been running around town for days, rallying the troops, and writing notes was pretty hard without opposable thumbs. He wished there was more he could do, but he’d just have to leave the rest to the others. Morgana’s thoughts turned to other matters. He’d seen a lot of girls in town buying up chocolates. Valentine’s Day was just two days away. Must’ve been nice for guys with girlfriends. Morgana closed his eyes and began to dream of Ann.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this one got away from me.
> 
> I originally conceptualized this as a more comedic piece about Morgana getting into cat hijinks while being homeless. Figured there'd be him fighting for territory with other stray cats and maybe at some point he's be taken in by some crazy cat lady or something.
> 
> Instead, something entirely different happened. A serious, drama-driven, confidant-laden fic.
> 
> Honestly, I'm not upset about it.

**Author's Note:**

> Update: This fic's been changed to use Joker's canon name.


End file.
